Comparative Study of the Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Foamed Concrete with Local Materials

Abstract

Living in a habitat with comfort is requested by all. Cinder block bricks have poor thermal properties, leading people to use fan heaters and air condition- ers to regain comfort. To overcome this problem of thermal discomfort in buildings, we used lightweight concrete such as foamed concrete which is a material that has improved thermal properties for thermal comfort. In addi- tion, this material was compared with local materials used for the construc- tion of buildings such as BTC, adobe and BLT mixed with binders. The results showed that foamed concrete is a material that has good thermal and mechani- cal properties compared to local materials mixed with binders. The foamed concrete having acceptable thermo-mechanical properties was that having a density of 930 kg/m3 . It has a thermal resistance of 0.4 m2 ∙K/W for a thickness of 20 cm. The foamed concrete having acceptable thermo-mechanical proper- ties was that having a density of 930 kg/m3 . It has a thermal resistance of 0.4 m2 ∙K/W for a thickness of 20 cm. For sunshine on a daily cycle equal to 12 hours, the characteristic thickness achieved by this material is 7.29 cm. It also has a shallow depth of heat diffusion having a lower thickness than other ma- terials. This shows that foamed concrete is a promising material for the con- struction of buildings.